Juniors / F2s

Seniors / F1s
in the Sixties

More Seniors / F1s
in the Sixties

The Seventies

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Early British Drag Racing

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Eighty +"Junior 10's" / F2's

Tough little racers for not much money 

Look for the   labels --- they may be scattered randomly throughout the page.

What a gem. This early Ford raced the tarmac at Brafield and I snapped the photo in 1963 when Danny Bassett was both National and European points champion.   "Juniors", later renamed F2, provided red-hot racing with  side-valve engines and maybe a couple of SU carbs bolted on.    Danny was from Woolwich, London, a larger-than-life "character" who was always grinning, and I hear he had done some wrestling too.  Danny was to die in a sailing accident in January 1964 in the English Channel, with the yacht "Christine", sailing from Kent, and which was later the centre of a legal case over seaworthiness

 January 2010: Ex-racer Nigel Harradine is the website's "first-footer" in the new decade, so thanks Nigel for these Junior F2 snapshots from mid-sixties Brafield.  First three shots from 1965 of Bill Barker 681 getting stuck in (Gordon Aucott somewhere in there), then #230 Johnny Allen who backs out safely, and then Bill escaping as two more cars pile into the mess (163 Roy Goodman, and perhaps that's Chick Woodroffe with him).  In a separate incident at the same turn,  car #514 of Gordon Fisher clips the RSJ while #756 scoots past, and finally 501 hits the fence.  Hot rods were a new formula in 1965, and unlike today's "cookie cutter" specials, here we see a Morris Minor, a Lotus Cortina, and a 105E Anglia.
And since Nigel sent those shots of other drivers' cars, here is his 1973 "Modstox" racer, #314, and a rear view of the Mini-bodied missile, showing his proud membership of the numerous "Hatfield gang".

  April 2009:  Here is a  "Junior Medley" of Brafield programme scans from 1962, courtesy of Trevor Richings [Rod Dore's mechanic]. 

Car 58 turns the corner while 727 flips in front of Fred's Hot Dogs. No wonder the crowds loved Junior racing: three rollovers, and that's just what's visible in this shot.  You want proof of the popularity of stock-car racing in 1962?  Here's a full house watching Chick Woodroffe's #409 get into a tire smoking spin.  Quite a few drivers raced both Junior and Senior cars, often under the same number; here is Rugby's Ted Elliott [cited as "Eddie"] in his upturned #444.  John Miles in 672 was not left with much car to hook up, after this incident.  Here is a distant blurry photo of Gordon Aucott, I estimate one second before a stiff neck!  Lastly, a mystery photo, no names, but it may be of Senior cars, and may be 1950's, as the one on the left looks a bit like Leighton's Chrysler, but --- the rest look like skinny Junior cars.  Any guesses?

 March 2009: Experts please forgive my ignorance:  

December 2008: In the last couple of months I have received many great photos, and I already forget who kindly sent me this one of this one of Willie Cowper #553, enjoying a quick puff while his mechanic dives into the car. 

December 2008: Here's a photo that Rick Young sent me years ago, which I just found again. Rick knew just about everyone in F2, and here are some of his mates' motors in the pits at Brafield: Packed in the truck is the Tony Southam car from Haddenham, behind it is # 625 John Gray from Oundle, and nearest the camera is the stripey part-Renault 4CV car 773 of Mick Whitney, another of the Beds-'n'-Herts posse.

 November 2008: Junior F2's galore!  Trevor Richings sends these 21 scans of lively Juniors in action at Walthamstow, Harringay, Brafield, New Cross, West Ham and Hednesford, from 1963-5.

At Matchams Park nr Ringwood, Chick Woodroffe's distinctive # 1 car is the only one of the waltzing five that I can recognize in this 1964 photo.  As I often ask on this site , detective volunteers please, to identify F2 drivers, as I have no proper list of the registered numbers.  

January 2009:   Thank you, Brian Clements.  Brian is still in touch, 40 years on, with F2 racers like Mick Whitney, Tony Southam and Kenny Horne.  Brian names the "waltzing five" drivers in the above photo as  #500 Con Lambert [Lewisham], 689 Johnny Marquand [Saltash], and 735 Cecil Bennett [Millbrook].  Any offers on #528?  In the Clements collection is this centre spread of an Abbey Stadium programme from April 1963, which shows Con, Johnny, and Cecil.

Also from Brian, the cover of Swindon's 1963 World F2 Final programme; and from its back cover, Chick Woodroffe and Jock Lloyd coming together in fine style, as they did for so many years at so many tracks.  As Brian Clements says, the great thing about Junior / F2's is that everyone, drivers and spectators alike, felt it was "their" formula.

Big headache coming for this nose-diving car, as # 206 hurries past; Walthamstow or Harringay in 1964.  This Swindon programme from 1964, thankfully, gives all five names from a night-time race. 

Waiting for the flag to drop in 1962 at New Cross stadium.   This Lewisham SE14 oval, adjacent to the fearsome Milwall Football Club, was for years home to speedway, had a 26,000 capacity, and filled it to overflowing for Britain's first stock-car race in 1954 (what an optimistic time that must have been), it was sadly left to go derelict and demolished in 1975.

Junior F2's at Hednesford in 1963, and spot the escaped wheel coming into the picture..

Car 98 at Walthamstow;  Harringay, with cars 230 and 608;

Car 518 at Harringay;   Car 651 possibly Walthamstow;

Twice in a row at Harringay in 1964, car 663, and 663 again here with #37;

Car 674 in the pack at Walthamstow;  More Brafield action;

Jane Douglas, a USA visitor;  Jane written up;

Chick Woodroffe wins the WF semi final at Harringay, over Bryan Hinckley, 1965;  Brafield Juniors;

Even more Brafield Juniors;  Walthamstow Juniors in '65; Lambert brothers at Harringay in '64;

Women racers being interviewed at Brafield in '65.

More Harringay fun:  511 gets part-airborne, chased by what look like 627 and 582.

Junior #616 (twin SU carbs poking out of the side)  has attacked # 652's door.

Who's going where?  662 chases 658 (?) one way while 681 and 567 head the other way.

West Ham saw 716 sideways while 677 is heading for it.

Here's an unknown Junior F2 with some serious crash damage. (Scan thanks to Trevor Richings). 

 September 2008:  Courtesy of Alan Humphreys (a ton of Alan's Spedeworth archive photos are 'stacked up' in my cyberspace waiting to be loaded here), two shots of Barry Van Den Oetelaar's cars.  Barry originally raced Senior / F1's, but then moved on to both racing AND promoting Spedeworth.

Barry 1  and  Barry 2  (in that one it looks as though B. has two cars running). 

Side trip for my BriSCA site, but these hot-rod photos are amazing.  Doug Warner was racing a stock car in the late 1950's, and was a regular in Hot Rods in the 1960's.  Hot Rod World Champion (1979) Gordon Bland has sent me these.  First is Doug in his 1963 hot rod.   Gordon has rebuilt that old car to perfection, and on a sunny July Sunday in 2008 Doug climbed "back" in and ran some fast laps at Hednesford, even giving it some opposite lock --- but then Doug is only 84 years old!  Doug 1963.   New Doug 1.     New Doug 2   New Doug 3.

Gordon Bland was also Chairman of the British Stock Car Racing Supporters Club in 1968/69, and co-edited their magazine.

January 2009:  "Ancient & Modern History":  Gordon Bland kindly passed on this photo of the late great Bill Morris and his son Martin, in front of Doug Earner's hot-rod (before Gordon's super restoration).

September 2008:  Some years ago, Alan Humphreys kindly sent me a ton of great Spedeworth photographs, and they have been sitting in my files making me feel guilty ever since. Although my website is nominally a "BriSCA only" project, Spedeworth has been a major provider of top class racing for decades, and so I am going to select some of Alan's photos and link them here.  Oops, Dave Hinde flips.  Here's a VW Beetle # 618.  Roy Wood carried # 82, and Malcolm Paterson 107 enjoys the sunshine at Racewall.

 USAF veteran George Fennell who was based at Alconbury 1967-1970 sent this great action shot of F2 Juniors on a sunny Sunday in 1969 at Brafield.  Zooming past are Viv Harper #713 in yet another Topolino [where DID they find those Fiats?] from Wisbech, and Eddie Cunnew #734.  George also sent this long-shot view of what look like F1 Seniors pounding out of turn 2 at Brafield.  That unmistakable oak tree in the background must be familiar to every stock-car fan in England. MARCH 28: And here is # 661 (recognized by Rick Young as  Dave Wycherley from Crowland , Lincolnshire), a bit daring in bare arms.  FORTY YEARS ON:  Today Dave W. is back racing a replica of that Topolino, #661, in the BriSCA Heritage series, and his son races F2's as well!

USAF racers:  British stock-car racing benefited hugely from the participation of US servicemen from the many air bases, especially in the Midlands and East Anglia. Many are mentioned under the SENIORS IN THE SIXTIES section.  Here are some photos from Ed Bilak of the Alconbury Spartans stock-car team.  Ed, who was originally from Pennsylvania, has kept some of his mementoes from 1965-1966 and has kindly sent these:  Kings Lynn Poster;  Brafield Pass and Membership;  another pass.  Here is Grant Ford, who is also shown further down this page;  here is  Ron Shomber; and here is a super group photo, and the names are — A2c  Ed Bilak, A2c Jim Crye, A1c Clyde Nichols, A1c Mark Thomson, TSGT.Ted Janes, A3cSSGT Grant Ford, A3c James Sawyer.  This photo was in the "Photogram" Alconbury base paper from 11th March 1966. Thanks to Ed for this slice of history.

Two more treats: from the 1960 STOCK CAR HANDBOOK, four years' results statistics; and a LONG EATON programme from May 21st, 1960, showing no fewer than 4 American racers from Chelveston (I know it says "RAF", but that's who owned it!).

 August 2009: More from Terry "Chick" Henson, and very high quality photos they are too, so thanks Mr Henson.  Brafield in July 1964 sees Chick's 177 parked in front of an "ambulance" coach.  In the far right background you can see the white 301 Senior of Dirty Dennis Burdett-Coutts on its trailer with its Austin Sheerline limousine. Two years later in June 1966 Chick is running the popular Fiat Topolino body, here shown getting attention on the centre green (with Fred's Hot Dogs in the far background of course!).  Getting a nudge in turn 1, courtesy of #502.   And here's fame for you: Chick Henson introduces sixties singer "Eden Kane" to the world of stock car racing.
   
Eden Kane [born in India as Richard Sarstedt] topped the hit parade in 1961 with "Well I Ask You" , and had several top five hits, toured with Marty Wilde, Joe Brown, Helen Shapiro, etc.  His career later continued in Australia and then the USA, where he still lives.  Star Trek fans will recognize him as a pilot of the Starship Enterprise.  His brother Peter Sarstedt scored with "Where Do You Go To My Lovely?" in 1969, and another briother, Robin Sarstedt also recorded songs.  http://www.edenkane.com/index.html

Finally, a photo taken at Kings Lynn, also in June 1966, where Terry enjoys the sunshine on a parade lap, and if you enlarge the photo to look at the spectators --- suit jackets, dress shirts, smart ties --- we were NOT a "scruffy bunch" in the sixties when we went to the stock cars.

John Todd, # 631, used to build 'em, race 'em, mechanic 'em too, excuse my grammar.  Here's John on only his second outing (in 1979 ) at Brafield, having a turnaround. [Photo from Paul Huggart's book 'The Complete Book of Short Oval Racing', 1980.]  John's first race, at Skegness, earned him a whole quid, for 6th place:  the prize wouldn't make you rich, but a 6th place in a debut race was quite something.  John also used to build F1 cars, and mechanic'd for Alan Scothern for some years. 

Thanks to Rick Thomas, one-time "deejay" at Brafield Stadium, some tasty shots of the Juniors in full 'wrecking' mode: Willie Cowper #553 being rolled by dashing Dave Chisholm #552, back in 1963.  Next, USAF visitor Grant Ford rolls his Ford Model Y while #689   [not Bill Barker as previously labelled] leads in his Topolino F2.  THE INSIDE VIEW: circa 1962, the interior of a Ford E93A showing the driver wisely installed in the centre, away from the right-hand steering wheel.  And a fantastic and lucky spectator snapshot of a rather nasty F2 crash in the late 60's or early 70's: Chris Love is flipping, with Eddie Cunnew underneath, and both cars cleared the track fence and landed next to the spectator fence.  This flip ended with poor Chris Love underneath, with a collapsed rollbar, suffering serious back injuries.  Rick tells me that today Eddie Cunnew is the Brafield starter. Thanks, Rick, for the photos.

An S.C.N cover showing a pit-full of the little 'uns ready to rumble: thanks to Diane Sutton (whose late husband Aubrey Sutton was a long-time mechanic for racer Jumbo Tustin), a colourful and busy pits scene, from  1963.

The panoramic photo was actually taken by Pete "Pop" Christie, at Walthamstow Stadium.  Pete raced "Juniors" as #682, was mechanic for Bill Barker #681, and later raced Spedeworth as #59.  He was everywhere, giving a helping hand and always "boosting" the sport, and a regular columnist for SHORT CIRCUIT magazine.  Pete identifies most of the S.E.London drivers visible below, as 550 Nobby Lambert, 610 Ken Lambert, 643 Danny Bassett, 681 Bill Barker, 230 Johnny Allan, 738 Frankie Wooster, 651 Harry Andrews, and 629 Don Roomes who was not one of the S.E. "bunch". Thanks Pete; 

Pete passed away in November 2008, and his obituary is here.

Ian "Mac" McCarthy's beautiful "Superstox" car, in a cutting from a magazine. Mac helped me with some info further down the page.  Don't you wish stock-cars looked like this today —- classy, real, and sleek! Mac raced this at the Alwalton non-BriSCA track near Peterborough.  Here's another photo of the car, in the pits. [Photos originally from Alwalton racer Brian Holmes, a never-quit guy who raced into his sixties.]

This relatively modern car looks so "sixties / seventies", and its driver looks like he's having so much fun, that I'm including it here anyway.  John Rigg was an Aycliffe driver (the "race hard or go home" track), and his car enjoyed Royal Mail backing.  John 29, and Oops, postal-code advice on his sump guard, for all to see.  John tells me it has an Escort rear axle, in his words "—-as you can see" —- , (now we'll have fifty e-mails arguing which model year it was, I bet — !)

Who said "Bah, humbug!"? Well, this car was nicknamed the Humbug, and you can just see the hacked-about Renault 4CV body on Mick Whitney's # 773 at Brafield.  Mick was one of the 'usual suspects' from the Haddenham & District Stock Car Club.  [Rick Young photo]. [Memory of 4CV's:  When I was at school I did an 'exchange' with a French boy, and it involved driving from Calais to the centre of France with his family of 3 plus me squished in a tiny 4CV with its deafening rear engine.] 

Thanks to Allan Wardle for these photos of his father Albert Wardle's car and career in the Scottish stock car drivers' association.  Here's an early car, with Albert and friends.  Here's Albert's very tidy red-top, note the exhaust deflector.  Membership card.  And a press clipping that also mentions Pete Dent who of course was nicknamed "Pepso" Dent.  Here's a victory-lapping Albert, from a programe that predicted a 1964 championship win. Albert raced at Ibrox's White City track, up against aces like Chick Woodroffe and Jock Lloyd.  For the meticulous record-keepers and historians among you, here are some White City line-ups:  first, second.  These shots from Allan Wardle, Albert's son.  Incredibly, fans could see cars like this E-Type Jaguar, back in 1964, putting in fast laps — at great risk from that track fence.  Programmes reported that briskly-driven 10-hp Juniors could often lap faster than such powerful but heavy GT cars.

By coincidence, two people e-mailed me on the very same day, about Jock Lloyd: one is Scotty Hewitt, a  racer who competed against Jock at Glasgow's White City track in the "Junior" F2 class, before heading for sunny California. Expect to see a photo here from Scotty in the near future. Scotty raced under the name "G.G.Edwards", and one race is never-to-be-forgotten.  Jock Lloyd was already famous and respected, and Scotty deliberately backed down the grid to start beside Jock, who grinned across at him and called out to Scotty  "SO YOU FANCY YOUR CHANCES?"    Jock waited half a beat before taking off, and that enabled him (and the canny Scotty) to dodge the first turn carnage.  Here is Scotty . Remembering 46 years on:  "It was the best thing I could have done. I learned so much that night. I was right on his tail lap after lap, sticking with him learning his line and the way he handled that car.  I saw that on occasion he would enter turn 4 a little wider than I, so, I said to hell with it, and on the last turn of the last lap, I stuck my S70 under Jock but it lifted, as I knew it would, but it laid on Jocks car all the way round, and I crossed the start finish a foot in front of the master.  In all the races I have run since, and won, none have stuck with me like this one. Jock came to me after the race grinning from ear to ear, shook my hand and said "If you don’t die son, you’ll be a hell’va racer". The story in [The Evening Citizen] said The "Zebra Crossing" does four laps on 3 wheels, then wins the main". 

Scotty raced under the name "Edwards" because at the time he was mechanic and pit crew for the legendary Ecurie Ecosse motorsport team run by wealthy Scottish businessman David Murray, who (true to RAC principles) strongly disapproved of stock-car racing!  Their Jag D-Types won Le Mans in 1956 and 1957.  Scotty tested their Le mans Healey and their Cooper Monaco cars.  Scotty wasn't done with racing even after he emigrated to work at a California Jaguar dealership. Over the years he has won five regional production-car championships, and is chief driver instructor for California's section of the SCCA.  Who'd have thought 46 years ago that this Glasgow youngster in a stock-car would later be rubbing shoulders with international racing stars like Innes Ireland and Stirling Moss?

Ex-racer Rick Young has kindly given me a scan of a White City programme cover.  White City programmes from Rick Young's collection include these photos of Bill Thompson, (the programme shows Ibrox was full of Thomson's!) Jock Lloyd (#131 same as his Senior), and a crowded Junior race. Here are some notes from the track and comments from Johnny Hoskins.  Lastly, two lists  (well here's the 2nd!) of drivers' names from 1962.

Thanks to Pete Schafer for this historic photo.  The very first "Junior" formula race in early 1961 at Tamworth, promoted by Syd Farndon.  Syd had been chatting to Fred Mitchell about the idea of a small cheap stock car formula, and Fred dug a Ford 10 out of his yard, stripped it, locked the diff, and had Roger Mortimer test it round Tamworth.  (Roger M. was Fred's bro-in-law.     Syd Farndon gave the thumbs up, and here is that car jokingly numbered 38 1/2 and painted pink, ready for the first Junior race.  Roger went on to mechanic Mitsubishi's international rally cars.  This photo came from Fred Mitchell's daughter Pauline Holden (mom to Jason "Hurricane Holden" # 38 today).  Syd Farndon himself raced Seniors under # 224, and rose to red-top status and contested the World Final at Brandon.  Thanks to Pete Schafer and to Syd F's son Steve Farndon for the info.

Now, yodel after me "I remember You-oooo —" and tell me who sang it:  Frank Ifield was not just a crooner, he had raced stox in Australia, and here he is with his F2/Junior.

Several photos of Arnie Hawes 777, from Arnie himself and also from programmes in the Rick Young collection.  My thanks to both.  Arnie was from Maulden, Beds., and for some unknown reason was nicknamed "The Mad Milkman" by Brafield's Graham Guthrie. Here's Arnie's 2nd- place record in a 'consie' at Brafield [at 25%: enlarge it]. Arnie in a pic of his car on the trailer.   Arnie's first car, plus 'the kids', both of whom grew up to race in the 1980's.   Arnie tells me that although the early Juniors were fun, they were mostly out of control and frequently demolished, and that the later cars were so much faster and easier to handle.  Heat and final wins at Brafield got these trophies, with an ex-Dave Bunt car, 1980's.    Arnie at speed in the rebodied Dave Bunt car.  And 'man at work' on his 1300 crossflow Ford lump, Cosworth pistons, dry-sumped, Holbay exhaust, steel crank, roller rockers, twin Weber 45's — 'the business!'   This next photo may be from a Sunday Times supplement article.

 

Grant Ford in a night crash — track and other car, anyone? Thanks to keen-eyed Ian "Mac" McCarthy, who pinpoints both the date and the track:  Walthamstow Stadium in 1965 — 1st October to be precise — and the 541 car entangled with Grant Ford is that of blue-grader Brian Wilcox, a Cornish driver.  Mac raced in BSCDA # 641, in Spedeworth #111, and Alwalton Superstocks #33, and still has the Walthamstow programmes for that year and that night!

Here's the well-liked Johnny Marquand # 689 celebrating a win at Brafield (thanks to Alan Humphrey for the correct number)(Carol Cockings photo).

Thanks to Andy Webb, 40-something years later, for the following info on this super little car.  Andy backed up my comment elsewhere on this site: nobody ever saw Fiat Topolinos on the road, but Andy and Ian Durham found two side by side in a scrapyard in Bloxham!  Steve Bateman found one in a yard not far between N'pton and Brafield — who was scrapping them?  The car in the photograph had been debuted the night before at Harringay, where its  slick appearance drew so many people that Andy could hardly get back to it after booking in.  [Which is just how I remember the admiring mob at the pit gate as Andy took it out for practice after the Brafield meet.]  Andy also mentions a little bump-and-spin with Johnny Marquand's car at Harringay which led to another little 'exchange of words' after the race, which left them lifelong friends —-"great days" is how Andy remembers the spirit of those times.  Nowadays they beat each other at golf, as competitive as ever.

  

The mad artist at work!  This builder was years ahead of psychedelic flower power: Ford Pop 1963/4

Dick Hawkins trying to dodge a collision coming out of a Brafield corner [DY photo]

In the drama below, the overturned car of Nigel Harradine 717 ---cont'd:

 --- had been snagged by Norm's bumper and dragged all the way from the Brafield pits entrance — Nigel tells me that while upside down, the petrol from his upside down tank was dripping 'down' into the roof, which was having a hole ground in it by the tarmac.  "Fairly lucky escape, really" says Nigel.  Nigel retired in 1978, then retired again in the late 1980's, then again, then raced in 2006, then raced again in 2007, and this year 2008, the "retired" Nigel Harradine expects to be out on the track yet again, under #97.  This is a happy man who does not know how to stop. 

August 2009:  At Newton Abbot, in September 1971, we see Nigel Harradine's 717 parked.  The photo was taken by Kevin Crabtree, and Nigel just acquired it.

March 2009:  Nigel Harradine will be racing again in 2009 at his local Swaffham, under his old BriSCA F2 number of 717.  "I still heal prety quickly", he says --- this from a chap who was  20 years old in the 1971 photo above, and who had his share of broken ribs, etc along the way.

May 2009:  "Harry's Back" was the title of Nigel's message that carried this photo him grinning and ready for action, 'only' 38 years after the crash photo above.

Also visible in the original photo print are: 652 = Ken Horne, 773 = Mick Whitney (both Haddenham; Mick was an auto mechanics lecturer at Aylesbury College);  650 = Roy (not Ron) Innocent of Northants;  672 = Peter Baines (Lincs, and later the 3-Star promoter);  698, just visible in the pits shot = Jim Welch (Lincs, later the Spedeworth Superstox champ);  520 (man-in-the-window) = John Bush from Raglan, Monmouthshire; finally, 717 = Nigel Harradine from Hatfield, Herts.

A Brafield photo taken in 1966: #707 is Johnny Sparks (I'd pay to have a name like that.) and 611 is Nick Edwards, two racers who made the trek from Cornwall to race their F2's. Dick Young photo.

Juniors / F2s

Seniors / F1s
in the Sixties

More Seniors / F1s
in the Sixties

The Seventies

Links